Clinical trials for people with metastatic breast cancer

Many new treatments for metastatic breast cancer are under study. Most of these are drug therapies.

A clinical trial can offer you the chance to try a new treatment and possibly benefit from it. Learning a new drug is better than standard treatment can also help others.

Findings from clinical trials determine whether or not these treatments will become a part of the standard of care for metastatic breast cancer. Some treatments may even go on to be used for early stage breast cancer care.

Some clinical trials compare a new treatment to the standard of care. So, not everyone in the trial gets the new treatment. However, even those who don’t get the new treatment still get the standard treatment, just as they would if they didn’t join the trial.

Talk with your oncologist about clinical trials. But remember, like all aspects of cancer care, the decision to join a clinical trial is a personal one.

Use the Metastatic Trial Search Tool to Find a Clinical Trial That’s Right for You

Susan G. Komen® is one of several organizations to support the Reagan-Udall Foundation and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the development of an Expanded Access Navigator website.

The Expanded Access (EA) tool serves as a clearinghouse of information and resources to help patients and their doctors more easily access information that could impact treatment decisions. The EA Navigator explains what EA is, who may be eligible, how the request process works and the regulatory and policy issues around EA.

EA, also known as “compassionate use,” gives patients that have exhausted their treatment options and are not eligible for (or able to participate in) a clinical trial, access to investigational drugs before they have been approved by the FDA.